If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You will be required to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Ridgid Cables?

Many have expressed displeasure with Ridgid cables recently through many sizes & types. So I have a question:

Why don't you just quit buying them?

That's what I would do. The company knows your concerns and if they address them they can announce the change so you can go back to them if you want.

I'm probably gonna' get some sectionals soon but won't consider Ridgid even though I'm sure many will tell me they've had no recent problems with the sectionals. That's great and I understand your experiences.

But with a decrease in quality in the same area of product, I'm considering others.

I've not seen, from any other large company, the degree of attn to end user feedback we see here. For someone in charge of a division of Ridigid to pay attn to the whining of some guy like me, who spends a few $k/yr on their product, is so amazingly rare and insightful that I just have to support it. I think you just have to accept that as part of that there is a certain amounut of inertia to be dealt with; these people are having to move mountains to make these things happen, and are having to tread water and navigate minefields while they do it.

It ought to be easy, from this perspective, to 'bring back the good stuff'. I'm not a huge or demanding user of cables, and don't think my input in that area is as valuable as others'. But I do understand the difficulty in identifying exactly what was 'the good stuff', what made it good, the dismay in finding that that supplier is out of business, the incredible investment required to bring it all in house, the lossses to get it dialed in house, the fantastic wait involved in making that investment pay off, and the inprobabliliy of ever being credited for moving things in the right long term direction.

I guess my point is that we, here, infinitesimal end users, have a rare chance to influence the direction of the product that will be available to us. And we ought to take a long term view. I want to go to bed with a supplier, secure in the knowledege that this stuff is the good stuff, the stuff I got before and liked, and can order again and will like agian, and if it's new and different, well, its from my peeps so it'll be new and different and BETTER. I don't want to have to think about it; I don't have time to think about it. I don't want to have to read between the lines on i-net ads and feel all knowledegeble that I knew not to buy that lot and knew to buy this lot, those games are boring; I want a secure quality name I can rely on to not screw me over.

We deal in now. 100' of 3/4" is a big investment for any one of us. We want it to be the right investment. How rare for the supplier to have the same goal, instead of just getting rid of whatever junk is in the pipe today?

This is my reminder to myself that no good will ever come from discussing politics or religion with anyone, ever.

I understand after that whole stuck 4" cutter in a 4" Kelly that you are not the consumate plumber I would think you should be on the General site bashing their "three and half inch" cutter for getting you stuck

Comment

I've not seen, from any other large company, the degree of attn to end user feedback we see here. For someone in charge of a division of Ridigid to pay attn to the whining of some guy like me, who spends a few $k/yr on their product, is so amazingly rare and insightful that I just have to support it. I think you just have to accept that as part of that there is a certain amounut of inertia to be dealt with; these people are having to move mountains to make these things happen, and are having to tread water and navigate minefields while they do it.

It ought to be easy, from this perspective, to 'bring back the good stuff'. I'm not a huge or demanding user of cables, and don't think my input in that area is as valuable as others'. But I do understand the difficulty in identifying exactly what was 'the good stuff', what made it good, the dismay in finding that that supplier is out of business, the incredible investment required to bring it all in house, the lossses to get it dialed in house, the fantastic wait involved in making that investment pay off, and the inprobabliliy of ever being credited for moving things in the right long term direction.

I guess my point is that we, here, infinitesimal end users, have a rare chance to influence the direction of the product that will be available to us. And we ought to take a long term view. I want to go to bed with a supplier, secure in the knowledege that this stuff is the good stuff, the stuff I got before and liked, and can order again and will like agian, and if it's new and different, well, its from my peeps so it'll be new and different and BETTER. I don't want to have to think about it; I don't have time to think about it. I don't want to have to read between the lines on i-net ads and feel all knowledegeble that I knew not to buy that lot and knew to buy this lot, those games are boring; I want a secure quality name I can rely on to not screw me over.

We deal in now. 100' of 3/4" is a big investment for any one of us. We want it to be the right investment. How rare for the supplier to have the same goal, instead of just getting rid of whatever junk is in the pipe today?

Ok, I've got to pull the dumb card.

Can someone give this in a summary to me?

J.C.

Comment

I've not seen, from any other large company, the degree of attn to end user feedback we see here. For someone in charge of a division of Ridigid to pay attn to the whining of some guy like me, who spends a few $k/yr on their product, is so amazingly rare and insightful that I just have to support it. I think you just have to accept that as part of that there is a certain amounut of inertia to be dealt with; these people are having to move mountains to make these things happen, and are having to tread water and navigate minefields while they do it.

It ought to be easy, from this perspective, to 'bring back the good stuff'. I'm not a huge or demanding user of cables, and don't think my input in that area is as valuable as others'. But I do understand the difficulty in identifying exactly what was 'the good stuff', what made it good, the dismay in finding that that supplier is out of business, the incredible investment required to bring it all in house, the lossses to get it dialed in house, the fantastic wait involved in making that investment pay off, and the inprobabliliy of ever being credited for moving things in the right long term direction.

I guess my point is that we, here, infinitesimal end users, have a rare chance to influence the direction of the product that will be available to us. And we ought to take a long term view. I want to go to bed with a supplier, secure in the knowledege that this stuff is the good stuff, the stuff I got before and liked, and can order again and will like agian, and if it's new and different, well, its from my peeps so it'll be new and different and BETTER. I don't want to have to think about it; I don't have time to think about it. I don't want to have to read between the lines on i-net ads and feel all knowledegeble that I knew not to buy that lot and knew to buy this lot, those games are boring; I want a secure quality name I can rely on to not screw me over.

We deal in now. 100' of 3/4" is a big investment for any one of us. We want it to be the right investment. How rare for the supplier to have the same goal, instead of just getting rid of whatever junk is in the pipe today?

Ok, I've read it a few more times to see if I can follow. I will just say that one hopes that the supplier has the same goal and they've been VERY responsive to other ideas from end users. Credit should be given.

And I'm aware that changes are no mere "flip of a switch". But remember this, Ridgid seems to have gone from making drum cables that many were satisfied with to ones that many are now complaining about.

That's a change also. Not a mere "flip of a switch". It's making a concerted effort to change with the current product as the result. Everyone can make their own decision as to what they believe. Was there an effort put forth to decrease quality? To stay competitive?

Did those in charge of making the changes think it would increase quality? Same quality while reducing costs?

Either way, a change seems to have been made at some point.

One things I think is incorrect is the thinking how much of an enormous task it would be to go back to the old cable design. Think about it. The R&D and tooling should already be done. Right?

It reminds me of water heaters being purposely de-engineered for turnover. What pisses me off about them is how they put out literature about all of their "Swirly Whirly Diptubes, Moon Rock Anodes, and Diamond Encrusted Tanks" trying to convince (lie) to us that they've made them better so they'll last longer.

We've all noticed water heaters lasting longer with all of this innovation, new materials, and research haven't we?

I understand after that whole stuck 4" cutter in a 4" Kelly that you are not the consumate plumber I would think you should be on the General site bashing their "three and half inch" cutter for getting you stuck

You really know how to hurt a Guy. Don't admit any screw Ups,I'll be watchin

I can build anything You want , if you draw a picture of it , on the back of a big enough check .

Cut me some slack; I was pretty drunk last night and got on a roll. Didn't even really remember writing that until I saw it.

I will stand by my comments re responsiveness to end user feedback, and I bet there is effort underway to understand the issue and put it right. Ridgid charges a premium for something with their name on it and generally justifies it by being the best.

I think you're right that something has changed. Certainly both Plumber Rick and All Clear have commented in the past about missing the old 3/4". It could be gone for something as simple as it wasn't selling in suficient quantity to justify taking up plant space with the tooling when another line was selling so well they couldn't keep up.

I doubt it's planned obsolescence. More likely quality control or a change of supplier or a change by a supplier. I don't know if Rigid winds their own cables or not. I suspect they do as most of their stuff is made in house pretty much start to finish. But I'd be surpised if they draw their own wire, and even if they do they get the steel from someone.

I suspect some unplanned gremlin has crept in. A change to a slightly different steel, by Ridgid or by their wire supplier, that still hits the original spec but doesn't take the same abuse. Or a different wire supplier, or a change in process or tooling or design for some unrelated reason that had unforseen consequences. Something like that is difficult to trace back.

But, yeah, if I try something and it doesn't work for me, I just move on to try something else. And when something eventually does work how I'd like, I stock up.

But for cables, I really just don't use them that often, or that hard when I do. Cheap ones work for years for me.

This is my reminder to myself that no good will ever come from discussing politics or religion with anyone, ever.

Comment

I've not seen, from any other large company, the degree of attn to end user feedback we see here. For someone in charge of a division of Ridigid to pay attn to the whining of some guy like me, who spends a few $k/yr on their product, is so amazingly rare and insightful that I just have to support it. I think you just have to accept that as part of that there is a certain amounut of inertia to be dealt with; these people are having to move mountains to make these things happen, and are having to tread water and navigate minefields while they do it.

It ought to be easy, from this perspective, to 'bring back the good stuff'. I'm not a huge or demanding user of cables, and don't think my input in that area is as valuable as others'. But I do understand the difficulty in identifying exactly what was 'the good stuff', what made it good, the dismay in finding that that supplier is out of business, the incredible investment required to bring it all in house, the lossses to get it dialed in house, the fantastic wait involved in making that investment pay off, and the inprobabliliy of ever being credited for moving things in the right long term direction.

I guess my point is that we, here, infinitesimal end users, have a rare chance to influence the direction of the product that will be available to us. And we ought to take a long term view. I want to go to bed with a supplier, secure in the knowledege that this stuff is the good stuff, the stuff I got before and liked, and can order again and will like agian, and if it's new and different, well, its from my peeps so it'll be new and different and BETTER. I don't want to have to think about it; I don't have time to think about it. I don't want to have to read between the lines on i-net ads and feel all knowledegeble that I knew not to buy that lot and knew to buy this lot, those games are boring; I want a secure quality name I can rely on to not screw me over.

We deal in now. 100' of 3/4" is a big investment for any one of us. We want it to be the right investment. How rare for the supplier to have the same goal, instead of just getting rid of whatever junk is in the pipe today?

If a company made good product and made a change (presumably to increase the profitability of the product line) and the product is now inferior then the logical decision is to buy product from a different manufacturer. It's a simple business decision. If you want to remain competitive in this world you need the best equipment and tools you can employ. If it was "Ridgid", but now it's "General" then so be it.

If everyone stopped buying inferior cable tomorrow I guarantee you would see a more rapid response from Ridgid than if you continue to buy the cable you don't like.